Daz Vendors - listen closely

Daz, listen closely, because not listening is costing you (literally).

I spend more money elsewhere, because certain other sites do a much better job of communicating and managing sales.

Monday, I saw some items on sale here, put them in my cart, and didn't think to look at the sale closing date. After all whoever heard of a sale that ends on Monday? I naturally assumed - like any normal person - that if it was on sale on Monday, it would have to be on sale Tuesday as well. Did your website say that somewhere? Maybe. Was it in email? Quite possibly. But none of that matters. As a business, you need to conduct yourself in a way that appeals to your customers. There is enormous research behind sales and consumer spending psychology, and retail stores follow certain established sales promotion cycles for a reason.

Anyway, back to my story, lo and behold, come Tuesday when I logged in to complete my purchase, the sale was off.

Now Daz won't see my money. And it isn't just this sale. You guys do this kind of thing all the time, and I end up not spending money with you because my utter frustration.

You need some consistency to your sales cycle, and I'd suggest you start by looking at what retail does because there is enormous research behind their methodology. I would love to see Daz normalize its special promotions cycles a bit so your regular customers have some kind of idea what to expect. I will probably spend more money with you once you do, because I won't feel like I'm playing some kind of shell game about when the sale ends.

I hope that I did not come across harshly. I do not mean to. I am just frustrated to have had this happen to me several times now and it makes me want to shop elsewhere. Thanks for listening.

Funny, I never have an issue knowing when the sales end and what's even funnier is they sometimes go on longer past the time specified. Give me 7 one day sales over 1 sale that lasts the whole week. Now that you know what to expect, shouldn't be an issue.

I personally would like to see more vendor specials. Seems like every sale or promo is just "30% off DAZ Originals". Trust me, I've gone through the DOs and there's just not that much I want, even at sale prices.

PA products sales dates generally run two weeks from the day the product was released. In other words if the product comes out on Tuesday the sale will end two weeks from that date. I suppose the product intro sale could be set up to end on Sundays but the odds are high that would simply shorten the sales.

I spend more money elsewhere, because certain other sites do a much better job of communicating and managing sales

They still don't put the sale end date on the product page. That totally sucks for everyone, including the merchants.

Agreed.

I hate to say it, but a lack of clear or enough communication has always been a flaw DAZ suffers from. They don't always get it wrong, but a bit too often important or vital information is missing in their product documentation, sales promotions, etc. I would very much like to encourage DAZ to continue to work on improving their communications in this regard.

Daz also doesn't seem to realize that people more often than not get paid in two week pay cycles, with most people having money in the bank on Friday or if they have to cash a check on Saturday. I've seen them do sale after sale at the exact time when most people including myself are broke and then end the sale once I have cash in my account.

Sales are great when they're up, but I prefer to think of them as a bonus rather than a reason to go out and buy something. If I find something I want, I'll probably buy it, sale or no sale. Perhaps I'm a minority case, but there does seem to be a general consensus that sales are an entitlement rather than a nicety, so I almost feel bad for Daz in that regard.

Greetings,
What the OP appears to have gotten burned by was actually a weekend sale which was extended into Monday. With that knowledge, it makes more sense that it closed on Monday night...it had probably been running all weekend.

Anyhow, this basic problem is why I added Email me when my wishlist items are discounted to my http://3dwishlist.com app, since DAZ hasn't done it yet, so I get notified when stuff I care about goes on sale, and I know to go get it more or less immediately, if I can.

Taozen: Using the discount system instead of across-the-board lowering prices creates a 'scarcity' approach, which increases the feeling of 'imminent need', which drives sales. I don't begrudge them that at all, personally. A less dynamic shop in this tiny a niche market would probably go out of business.

I'm fairly confident that despite the OP's opinion, DAZ is quite well versed in sales theory AND practice, and is using Magento to a pretty far extent to drive it, even if it doesn't tickle his/her desire to spend money specifically.

Me thinks all stores should drop all sales completely and lower the prices in general, instead.

Google what happened when the iconic big US department store chain "J. C. Penney" (now known as JCP) tried that approach. Sounds good, but doesn't work.

And what happened to the General Motors offshoot Saturn? That was their philosophy, make a price, stick to it and they will come. Well, they didn't. Best (friendly, low maintenance, reliable) car I ever had, Saturn. Would have bought another one but by the time the old one wore out, Saturn was dead.

Would have bought another one but by the time the old one wore out, Saturn was dead.

Actually, I think that what actually killed Saturn is they were too well built...the replacement rate wasn't high enough to sustain a company...

But, all 'sales' theories aside, clear start/end times are a requirement...and for the most part, recently, I'm seeing more things like 'this weekend only' appearing in the newsletters. But then, there's a problem...because, technically in the US, this week, Monday was a holiday and for many counted as 'weekend'...as in 3 day weekend. So did the 'this weekend only' include Monday, too?

So while things are improving, actual DATES, would be better...and come on, every computer around has a way of easily getting to a calendar...

What the OP appears to have gotten burned by was actually a weekend sale which was extended into Monday. With that knowledge, it makes more sense that it closed on Monday night...it had probably been running all weekend.

I was going to come and say this too. It is actually very common for Daz to have weekend sales that start on Friday and end on Monday. I will agree though that having sales end dates someplace on the product would be very beneficial to all.

They still don't put the sale end date on the product page. That totally sucks for everyone, including the merchants.

I agree. I noticed since the new site the end dates for sales disappeared. How are we supposed to know when they end? I've noticed in emails it will show a sale is only for the weekend then on Monday, the item is still on sale. Since when does a weekend end on Monday? This was for the PC club special prices for non-members.

PA products sales dates generally run two weeks from the day the product was released. In other words if the product comes out on Tuesday the sale will end two weeks from that date. I suppose the product intro sale could be set up to end on Sundays but the odds are high that would simply shorten the sales.

How do we know when the product comes out unless we check the site every day? I only come here when I see something in the newsletter that I'm interested in.

It might not be a bad thing to leave the title alone. At least it gets the vendors' voices heard as well and DAZ is likely to listen to them more over the buyers. At least with a sale end date, we know when that product is no longer on sale instead of a big surprise when checking out.

It might not be a bad thing to leave the title alone. At least it gets the vendors' voices heard as well and DAZ is likely to listen to them more over the buyers. At least with a sale end date, we know when that product is no longer on sale instead of a big surprise when checking out.

No, title needs to be changed. We have no control over this, as it's been said many times.

Well..........while the title may be misleading my question is this. Why the hell haven't all you merchants jumped down DAZ's pipe about how shitty this site is. I highly doubt folks are making the kind of money they used to make here. DAZ'S main concern is making money off of products sold here and make in house but their web site is STILL crippled at almost a year now in both the store and the forums. Sorry but it's just pathetic and unprofessional. You can bend over to defend DAZ but you know that's really not what needs to be done. it's frustrating beyond anything I've ever dealt with as a client and member of a forum. I don't like it one bit.

Not only do I love the idea of sale expiration dates on the product pages, it's a no-brainer. How many sales has DAZ lost out on because someone (myself included) didn't realize that they only had a couple of days (or hours) left to scoop up some discounted item? Also, DAZ needs to implement a permanent "On Sale" category in the store for everything currently on sale. I go the store, I wanna browse everything currently on sale, I go that section, and I browse (and if DAZ has done their job right, I might even buy). If Renderosity and Runtime DNA can do these two simple and very useful things, then so can DAZ.

Well..........while the title may be misleading my question is this. Why the hell haven't all you merchants jumped down DAZ's pipe about how shitty this site is. I highly doubt folks are making the kind of money they used to make here. DAZ'S main concern is making money off of products sold here and make in house but their web site is STILL crippled at almost a year now in both the store and the forums. Sorry but it's just pathetic and unprofessional. You can bend over to defend DAZ but you know that's really not what needs to be done. it's frustrating beyond anything I've ever dealt with as a client and member of a forum. I don't like it one bit.

LOL, you're acting like we haven't said anything. ;)

But here's the thing about the sale dates... it kind of screams of "buy now" doesn't it? So, to be honest, it's not such a bad idea. It's kind of like going to a grocery store and seeing TV dinners that are normally $3 on sale for 5 for $10. They don't have end dates on the sale, but you kind of know to go ahead and stuff 'em in your basket because they may not be that price for long. If they had dates, you'd be tempted not to get it now and come back later.

So I see why it isn't a high priority; if you see something on sale... grab it. ;)

Well..........while the title may be misleading my question is this. Why the hell haven't all you merchants jumped down DAZ pipe about how shitty this site is. I highly doubt folks are making the kind of money they used to make here. DAZ main concern is making money off of products sold here and make in house but their web site is STILL crippled at almost a year now in both the store and the forums. Sorry but it's just pathetic and unprofessional. You can bend over to defend DAZ but you know that's really not what needs to be done. it's frustrating beyond anything I've ever dealt with as a client and member of a forum. I don't like it one bit.

LOL, you're acting like we haven't said anything. ;)

But here's the thing about the sale dates... it kind of screams of "buy now" doesn't it? So, to be honest, it's not such a bad idea. It's kind of like going to a grocery store and seeing TV dinners that are normally $3 on sale for 5 for $10. They don't have end dates on the sale, but you kind of know to go ahead and stuff 'em in your basket because they may not be that price for long. If they had dates, you'd be tempted not to get it now and come back later.

So I see why it isn't a high priority; if you see something on sale... grab it. ;)

I'm sorry, but that psychology just doesn't work for me, and due to the number of times I see this topic come up in the forums I am guessing it doesn't work for many others. 3D content is not a "necessity" and therefore I like to have time to think about a purchase before I make it. I don't like being pressured to buy because there is no end date on a sale and having to worry about when the sale will expire. Unless I really like an item and know I can use it I will always bypass a sale that does not have an end date, and unintentionally, I may never consider buying the item again. It may seem counter intuitive, but if the sale has an end date I feel less pressured to buy the item because I will know how much time I have to think about the purchase, will therefore feel more comfortable about the purchase, and as a result be more likely to make the purchase. Not having an end date has meant that I've let more and more sales slip by without taking advantage of them, that I've become more and more dissatisfied with the DAZ store, and that I have been buying less and less. (Perhaps I'm just abnormal *wink*)

Also, I've been trying to be patient, but find myself agreeing with others in the opinion that the new site is a step backwards. It broke more then it fixed. Tools for selling and promoting product that worked before have been lost and not been replaced. Sigh...

Well..........while the title may be misleading my question is this. Why the hell haven't all you merchants jumped down DAZ's pipe about how shitty this site is. I highly doubt folks are making the kind of money they used to make here.

Check the total number of orders for a certain period and compare to the number of orders for the same period a year ago. I checked december 2012 / 2011 and the number was just slightly smaller for 2012.

It doesn't say anything about the amount of $ the orders represent of course but I'd assume it's about the same, in average.

Well..........while the title may be misleading my question is this. Why the hell haven't all you merchants jumped down DAZ pipe about how shitty this site is. I highly doubt folks are making the kind of money they used to make here. DAZ main concern is making money off of products sold here and make in house but their web site is STILL crippled at almost a year now in both the store and the forums. Sorry but it's just pathetic and unprofessional. You can bend over to defend DAZ but you know that's really not what needs to be done. it's frustrating beyond anything I've ever dealt with as a client and member of a forum. I don't like it one bit.

LOL, you're acting like we haven't said anything. ;)

But here's the thing about the sale dates... it kind of screams of "buy now" doesn't it? So, to be honest, it's not such a bad idea. It's kind of like going to a grocery store and seeing TV dinners that are normally $3 on sale for 5 for $10. They don't have end dates on the sale, but you kind of know to go ahead and stuff 'em in your basket because they may not be that price for long. If they had dates, you'd be tempted not to get it now and come back later.

So I see why it isn't a high priority; if you see something on sale... grab it. ;)

I'm sorry, but that psychology just doesn't work for me, and due to the number of times I see this topic come up in the forums I am guessing it doesn't work for many others. 3D content is not a "necessity" and therefore I like to have time to think about a purchase before I make it. I don't like being pressured to buy because there is no end date on a sale and having to worry about when the sale will expire. Unless I really like an item and know I can use it I will always bypass a sale that does not have an end date, and unintentionally, I may never consider buying the item again. It may seem counter intuitive, but if the sale has an end date I feel less pressured to buy the item because I will know how much time I have to think about the purchase, will therefore feel more comfortable about the purchase, and as a result be more likely to make the purchase. Not having an end date has meant that I've let more and more sales slip by without taking advantage of them, that I've become more and more dissatisfied with the DAZ store, and that I have been buying less and less. (Perhaps I'm just abnormal *wink*)

Also, I've been trying to be patient, but find myself agreeing with others in the opinion that the new site is a step backwards. It broke more then it fixed. Tools for selling and promoting product that worked before have been lost and not been replaced. Sigh...

But it does work for many people otherwise it would have been changed by now. Keep in mind forum member are a tiny part of people who buy and most people don't even bother to come into the forum. So if you are the ones that say "I'll just buy it later", then you run the risk of missing the sale, which is really the point. Stores generally want to buy stuff preferably right then not later, but they also place things so where you will buy extra because they're on sale with no noticeable end dates. All part of buying more while you're in store... so really it does work.

But it does work for many people otherwise it would have been changed by now. Keep in mind forum member are a tiny part of people who buy and most people don't even bother to come into the forum. So if you are the ones that say "I'll just buy it later", then you run the risk of missing the sale, which is really the point. Stores generally want to buy stuff preferably right then not later, but they also place things so where you will buy extra because they're on sale with no noticeable end dates. All part of buying more while you're in store... so really it does work.

I am presuming from your comments that as you say it does work, and that sales for vendors are up and that business is not only good but better than before.
I'm very pleased to learn this as sometimes around here you could easily think that people arn't buying, I do know that my spending is down and that I'm spending more at other stores I've also noticed that the forums are quieter than they use to be.